Recon Walleye Boats

[River Hunter]

I just ordered my Recon and I am looking forward to it. I was able to test drive one this fall and it was great. 2 guys ( I am a BIG guy ) and gear and with a 175 proxs were doing over 55mph and the water was pretty ruff. Boat rode great and I was as dry as when I started. And I tried to see what it would take to get wet. I have been fishing Crestliner for many years and wanted to go glass but could not afford a Ranger. Once I saw this boat and had a chance to test drive it I was sold. The price is very close to what some of the better aluminum boats are going for but you get the proformance of a glass boat.

The site is www.boatsbyjohn.com and John is the owner and Jack is the sales guy They were very nice to work with so far and have done everything they said they would.

When I talked to them the other day the said they were selling the demo boat that I drove for something like 29k fully riged that may be the boat that got this post started.

By the way are not all boats splash boats? Every time a company come out with some thing better someone copies it. I think that is the American way. Not sure what difference it makes anyway?

[darin]

35 gallons of fuel is a little light for a walleye boat. I suppose with the newer engines all getting such good mileage, that isn't as much of an issue. The other thing that jumps out at me is, it's the exact length as my Fishunter (19'4") and 2 inches wider, and the dry weight is a little more, but the max hp is only 200. I have a 200 on mine, but it's rated for a 225 (which I would prefer, but this is how it was rigged when I bought it). Just a couple of observations. Not bashing at all. My fishunter also has two 26 gallon tanks in it (not that I ever fill them up, but a pro may have).

You have to let us know how your new boat tracks in the wind
I myself like the looks of them
I see on his web site he makes them in a tiller anybody got any pictures

[T Mac]

Originally Posted by turtle chain

could this be a splash of a Triton?? kind of like lunds glass boats are made by Triton???

No, the current Lunds are not a splash.
These Lund hulls were designed by Lund engineers and the molds built by an independent mold maker in Holland, Michigan.
Triton does the actual work of laying up the hulls because their factory is designed for fiberglass building, but they can't use the Lund molds for their own boats.

Once upon a time, there were some glass Lunds that were splashes back in the days when Arctic Cat owned Lund for a short time decades ago. I think they were splashes of Silverlines....?

[peter8]

I took my grandkids to the ski show in Minocqua Wi. this summer . They use a 20' version w/ twin E-techs as the main tow rig. They gotta be durable as they pound the $%^# out of it. Very impressive boat. Check out the picture on the web site of the boat standing on end. The kid did that several times a show. I know ... we only do that a few times a year but, does show the strength of the transom.

[River Hunter]

That was one of the reasons I went with them is the transom is built like it is. I have some freinds that own other brands of glass and they seem to have some transom problems from time to time. The HP rating I thought was low also but the math didnt give them what it needed for the extra 25 HP not sure on how that is actualy figured but it is what it is.

As far as tracking in the wind the day that I did the test drive it was pretty windy and I thought it did very well.

[Cwalleye]

I was looking for a new boat for 2010 after selling my Triton 215. Looked at just about every brand out there. I ran triton boats for past 5 years, the kept having issues falling apart. I ran a ranger before that and a lund before that. I got talked into taking a trip to Iola WI to check out this Recon builder, very impressed with what I saw. They like Ranger states, actually do build them one at a time, with great attention to quality. They took me out for a ride in a dealer demo Recon that they were selling, nice boat, the one that is posted on wc, I didn't buy it. I went right to the dealership and ordered a new one. They catered to me and put on everything that I wanted, even a place for my down riggers, at a fraction of the price of other builders. Should be done soon. I heard that there are going to be some at the Green Bay boat show. If you are looking for a boat, don't miss at least looking at a Recon. www.boatsbyjohn.com

[john_uph]

I would like to thank everyone for their interset in my new 985 Recon. You all have created quite a stir. I guess i need to put a few details out on how this boat originated for the wondering and confused. The new website will be up soon and will explain the history in more detail.

My name is John Johnson and I have been active in the marine industry for more than 24 years. While working for 2 other companies(Sierra and Euroline) I was also running my own repair shop(12yrs).Having a full repair shop was great way to learn about the construction process of other companies, some very good and some bad. Now we are using that knowledge to build my new boat line. 4 1/2 years ago I purchased all the molds, tools, and equiptment from Euroline to start my new boat line. Knowing the tooling style was out dated I would have to make modifications to all the tooling. Having a history with the company i understood how each model performed and what changes/improvements I needed to makeI also build ski boats under the name Dyna-Ski. Open and closed bows along with a 20'1" closed bow for the show ski teams. This boat will hold up to 3 outboards and the largest 1 so far has 3-250 BRP HO's. We incorporate this heavy duty construction, while still keeping the weight down, into all of the boats we build. Its been a hard road with this economy but I will have a 21' Recon model out this fall if the sales kep going. The hulls are from the Euroline molds with many improvements and the new decks are designed in the shop and plugs are hand built on a hull for a perfect fit. Are small crew takes great pride in what we do and better yet, we enjoy it.

Again I would like to thank everyone for the interest, phone calls, and emails(johnscustomuph@tds.net)

John
owner/Recon Boats
715-445-2059

They are calling the hulls, "Hybrid"....They claim you get the speed that you would get out of a bass hull with the capabilities of taking on bigger "seas".

I just ordered a Recon 985 last winter and picked it up from Jerry's Sport Service in Beloit WI in early June and have been using it this summer. I love the boat and am very impressed with its construction, features, and the way it runs. I got it rigged with an Evinrude ETEC 200 HO and with that motor it will easily run at 55 mph. The boat runs smooth and dry and is a blast to drive. I looked at a few other boats including the Lund 1900 Pro V and Ranger 619 vs and considered Yar Craft, but in the end it came down to the 619 vs Recon 985. I mainly fish for musky and the Recon seemed to be just about the perfect musky boat with its rod storage which will fit a number of my musky rods up to 9 ft long its large casting decks, and large live/bait wells. I just couldn't see what advantage the Ranger had other than the name, and even with the boat fully loaded it came in at a significantly lower price than the 619. Plus I really enjoyed dealing with Jack Zimmerman at Recon. They arranged for me to go out with Tom Rozek for an afternoon of fishing the summer before I put in my order just so I could see how the boat handled and sent me pics of my boat when it was being built - to me that is impressive customer service. It is pretty much like getting a custom built boat and I liked the fact that I was dealing with a smaller Iola WI based maker who still owns his own shop and takes pride in his work. Was also happy with the service and rigging by Beaver at Jerry's Sport Service. I would definitely recommend checking out the Recon, glad I did.

-Bob O